


Till we meet again

by issen4



Category: HIStory 3: 圈套 | HIStory 3: Trapped
Genre: AU, M/M, as of episode 17-18, but with details from 19-20 as author sees fit, going to be AU, really AU now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-04-06 16:57:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19066798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/issen4/pseuds/issen4
Summary: Four years later, Zhao Zi runs into the man he knew as Jack.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My speculation following the teaser for Ep 17, because it seemed at first that they were going to be parted. This is strictly AU, or at least it will be, since I'm expecting the Zhao Zi/Jack pairing to work out and have a happy ending, as HIStory endings have been. (At least it'd better be happy! With no separation! *already chewing on nails due to Tang Yi/Meng Shao Fei*)  
> 

"…Zhao Zi, hey, Zhao Li An, are you still there?"

Zhao Zi was finally aware that Ah Fei had been calling to him for the last few minutes. "Yes," he whispered, feeling his voice come out so weakly that it didn't sound like his own. "I mean, yeah," he tapped his earpiece to remind himself to focus. 

"You zoned out on me all of a sudden, buddy," Ah Fei went on, relief and urgency in his voice. "Did something happen?"

"N-nothing," he said, withdrawing in his seat just slightly to ensure that he was hidden by the shadows. At this time of the evening, the club had only just opened for business, and there were few customers, but their reconnaissance of the last few days showed that it filled up quickly. "Ah Fei, I thought you said that we were the only ones who got the tip-off."

"That was what they told us," Ah Fei said. Zhao Zi could hear him exchange comments with someone else in the control room, then Ah Fei's response, "What, couldn't they have said so earlier?" 

"What?" Zhao Zi asked, his eyes still not leaving the scene he was supposed to survey. The hair was different, the clothes smarter, but he was still wearing the fingerless gloves.

"Damn it," Ah Fei muttered. "They said there's another agent tonight, but he has a different target." There was a brief buzz of static in Zhao Zi's earpiece that showed that Ah Fei was trying to speak softly. "They said it's-"

"Yeah, I've already seen him," Zhao Zi confirmed. "He's at my two o'clock, and he's at the table opposite from our target."

"Zhao Zi-"

"He hasn't seen me," Zhao Zi asserted, then less confidently, "I think." After all, records had showed that he was extraordinarily good at his undercover missions. "And even if he does, he's not going to give me away. He has his own role and can't break his cover."

"You can continue?"

"We're in position," Zhao Zi reminded him. "Da-Wei and Min just signalled that they're ready, too." Da-Wei and Min were both recent transfers to the team, so Zhao was confident that they would not be recognised.

There was a brief moment of hesitation, then Ah Fei spoke again, all business. "Okay. Move in as soon as target begins negotiations."

"Roger," Zhao Zi replied, tearing his eyes away from the man who'd caught his attention, as though it was any other stranger, and forced himself to watch their target for the incriminating moment. 

When they made the arrests, he was acutely aware of being watched, even as the man he'd known as Jack ushered his own target away, but he told himself it was nothing. They were ostensibly in the same line, except that Investigation Team 3's missions were more in the form of stakeouts and ordinary investigations. Jack, according to what they had found out later, was usually in for the long game. 

By the time they got the target and his buyer into custody and had formally charged them and recorded statements, it was well past midnight. Ah Fei had squeezed his shoulder when they finally got out of the bullpen, their steps wavering in exhaustion as they tried to keep the other upright. This mission had taken Ah Fei and him the entire week. It looked easy, but it had taken a lot of timing to plan things just right to ensure they caught the target red-handed.

"You okay?" Ah Fei asked, when they were at the station lobby, trying to decide whether to get some late night supper first or just go home to crash.

Zhao Zi almost asked him what he meant, until his beleaguered mind alerted him to the one thing he was refusing to think about. "I don't know," he said honestly. "Ask me about it tomorrow."

"Hm." Ah Fei sounded as though he was trying to think of something else to say, but at that moment the lobby doors slid open and Tang Yi entered.

"Tang Yi," Ah Fei said, looking dumbfounded. "What are you doing here?"

"To take you home, of course." The man was in a plain white long-sleeve shirt and tailored pants that showed off his figure perfectly, and when he pulled Ah Fei into his arms (lest Ah Fei fall flat on his face), the muscles in his pectorals and biceps flexed.

Zhao Zi watched with admiration. Despite everything, he still enjoyed looked at well-built men. Too bad Tang Yi was not gropeable. 

Ah Fei was full of puzzlement. "But how did you know I was here? I said I was on a mission."

"Told you, because of my tracking device, I know where to find you at any time," Tang Yi said with a bland face.

"That's nonsense," Ah Fei argued. "I've searched through my phone and my wallet and even my clothes. No tracking device."

"Then how did I find you?" Tang Yi asked. He met Zhao Zi's gaze and gave him a slight nod without Ah Fei noticing.

Zhao Zi, despite his tiredness, held up a 'V' sign with a smile.

 

/tbc


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ETA: I'll make some changes (hopefully slight) as the episodes show us more about Jack, but the overall story is an AU.

Zhao Zi and Tang Yi had an agreement. He would inform Tang Yi about Ah Fei's whereabouts when, and only when (a) it was not related to or could lead to the exposure of any confidential work they were on, (b) when it did not invade Ah Fei's privacy, (c) when it was safe, and (d) it would not bring Xing Tian Meng into situations where they were absolutely not welcome.

In return, when and if he or any of Xing Tian Meng came across the person they'd all known as Jack, there was not going to be any form of revenge, retaliation or gang-styled punishment against him for being an undercover agent.

Tang Yi had raised his eyebrows at that. "You're willing ask for that, after what he's done?"

Zhao Zi had shrugged with an insouciance he didn't feel. "He's only been carrying out his mission. I'm a police officer, I understand his position. And since his target all along was Chen Wen Hao..."

"Point taken." Tang Yi, to his credit, hadn't said anything further. "If he's not working against Xing Tian Meng, I agree to your terms."

"Point taken," Zhao Zi had said. Then they'd shook on it and Zhao Zi had gone home and tried not to hyperventilate about how he'd negotiated a deal with gang boss Tang Yi, of all people, for the sake of a man who was almost certainly gone permanently from his life. 

***

Tang Yi, who was now half-holding Ah Fei (whose eyes were now closed with his head on Tang Yi's shoulder, clearly taking a cat nap), offered, "I can give you a lift back to your place, Officer Zhao. I don't think you should be driving."

Zhao Zi demurred. "You probably want to get back as soon as possible with Ah Fei like that." He'd known Ah Fei when he was like this: near comatose and insensible so long as he felt safe, and then half the time he would whine that it was freezing cold.

"It's not that much out of the way," Tang Yi said. "And look at him, he's not going to do anything but sleep, and he can do that in the car." And even though Zhao Zi knew from experience that it probably felt like Ah Fei weighed the same as a small elephant draped against him like this, Tang Yi seemed immovable and only looked at Ah Fei fondly.

So much so that Zhao Zi's heart gave a lurch. "All right, thanks," he blurted rather than have to look at them a moment more. It wasn't his first time accepting a lift, anyway.

They went out the front lobby, where Tang Yi's car was idling, with one of his drivers and bodyguards Ray waiting patiently at the wheel. Familiar with how this went, Zhao Zi went round and slid into the front passenger seat, exchanging a quick "Hi" with Ray, while Tang Yi and Ah Fei (with some manhandling from Tang Yi) took the back. 

"Boss?" Ray said.

"To Officer Zhao's place first," Tang Yi said.

"Yes, boss."

Lulled by the drive, Zhao Zi nodded off within minutes, and when he roused, it was to Ray talking to Tang Yi.

"Do we need get someone here to check it out, Boss?"

"How many are there?"

He came awake all the way, and realised the car had gone all the way past his house and had now stopped at the turning into the major road. Making a show of waking, he rubbed his eyes exaggeratedly. "Hm? Why are we here?"

Ray replied, "Noticed someone sneaking around near your place, so I didn't stop. I can double back, though. Are you expecting someone, Officer Zhao?"

"Erm, no," he replied by reflex, then it occurred to him that there could be someone who did indeed know his house very well and might be audacious enough to approach him without an invitation. He was suddenly hyper-conscious of the backseat occupants (specifically Tang Yi) and wondered if it wouldn’t be better to insist that it was fine for him to get back. 

"Drive us back," Tang Yi said from the backseat. He frowned at Zhao Zi. "Officer Zhao, it may be safer for you to spend the night at my house. I can send someone to check your place tomorrow morning."

"No!" Zhao Zi exclaimed before he could help himself. "I mean, there's no need," he continued as both Ray and Tang Yi looked at him. Even the snoring from Ah Fei, from where he was sleeping beside Tang Yi, with Tang Yi's jacket placed over him, seemed to be quieter. "I'm from the police after all, I should get our own people to check it."

Tang Yi nodded. "All right," he said. "Ray, drive back."

"Yes, boss."

Zhao Zi managed to keep his thoughts to himself as the car turned back to the main road, but he suspected that his own reactions were fuelling suspicions on Tang Yi's part. The important thing was not to let Tang Yi see that he was dwelling on it. He pretended indifference on the drive to Tang Yi's place, and fell asleep despite his worries.

/tbc


	3. Chapter 3

The last thing Zhao Zi expected to do was to draw a gun on Jack. 

It was past noon by the time he got back home. By the time he woke up in a guest bedroom at Tang Yi's place, it was ten in the morning and Tang Yi told him that he had already sent a couple of men to check his house the first thing in the morning, and had not found anything.

That made Zhao Zi's alarm flare anew, though he hoped his expression had not given anything away as he thanked Tang Yi. Ever the considerate (ex-)gang boss, Tang Yi had also sent his men over to the station to drive his and Ah Fei's cars over, so at least Zhao Zi could drive his own car back home. (Zhao Zi carefully did not ask how Tang Yi's men could operate his car without his keys.)

Then it was breakfast with Tang Yi cooking and fussing over how much Ah Fei was eating, and Ah Fei trying not very hard to brush away his lover's concern, while actually basking in the attention. After four years together (even if Tang Yi was in jail for three of those) they were a settled, gently bickering couple. Zhao Zi ate heartily; Tang Yi was a good cook, after all, and Zhao Zi's enormous appetite was still a source of awe to those who didn't know him well. He reminded Ah Fei that they had to resume duty later that afternoon (Tang Yi scowled), and took himself off to get back home for a shower and change of clothes. He got into his car, worked through his own denial, and had to give himself a pep talk about not being too scared to go back to his own home. 

He still drove around aimlessly for almost twenty minutes, though.

Everything seemed normal when he stopped at his driveway. Zhao Zi breathed a sigh of relief as he dug out his door keys. Maybe it was really nothing; Tang Yi's men would have said something. He opened the door, entered and someone seized him immediately.

He struggled, all his training muddled until he realised that he knew the hand covering his mouth. The slender, slightly callused fingers, warm against his cheek, and the palm area slightly cooler due to being covered by black leather. Without hesitation, he twisted away from the hold, pushed the attacker away and retreated towards the kitchen doorway, flipping on the lights there as he drew his gun.

Although the sun was shining outside, the focused lighting at the kitchen counter threw everything in the living room into sharp focus, including the man now standing by the front door, watching him like a hawk. Zhao Zi kept himself steady, looking over at him past the gun barrel. 

"What a surprise. You escaped from my hold," Jack said. "Your combat skills have improved, Shorty." He took a step forward, that slight smile that Zhao Zi remembered growing wider as he spoke. "Are you going to put the gun down?"

Zhao Zi's grip didn't waver. "Why are you here?"

Jack tilted his head to one side, still with a smile. The look was again familiar, so much so that Zhao Zi's heart twisted. "Just to see you, Shorty."

Zhao Zi took a deep breath. "D-don't lie."

The smile grew wider now, less rehearsed. "And to check if my cover has been blown." He held up his hands as though preparing to surrender. "Will you put the gun down, Shorty? Bullets have no eyes."

Still only half-convinced about Jack's reason, Zhao Zi slowly lowered his gun.

Jack, for his part, looked relieved. "Didn't think I'd see the day that you drew a gun on me, Shorty."

"You are the one who sneaked into my house," he said. 

"Didn't you say once that you felt happy to have someone wait for you to come home?" Jack said. "I'm just trying to make you happy."

Even Zhao Zi was surprised at the hurt and anger that welled up in him at those words. "That was different," he said, enunciating each word firmly to hide his feelings. "And not inside my house," he added.

"Ah." A glance at Jack showed that his reply had scored a hit. "Shorty-"

Zhao Zi found himself leaning against the kitchen table and its solid presence gave him confidence. "It was four years ago," he said. "I know you have your own life, and your secrets, and you made it clear that you prefer it that way. So we don't have anything else to do with each other now."

"Zhao Li An."

It was the first time Jack had called him by name since the separation four years ago. He looked at the patch of wall beside Jack, not wanting to be distracting by how his mind kept comparing this man with the one in his memory, and ploughed on. "Don't worry, your cover's still intact. Your identity's on a need to know basis and no one else knows except International Crimes, Ah Fei and me." He was proud of himself for saying all of that without stumbling over his words.

Jack said this time, "Zhao Zi."

Zhao Zi finally looked at Jack, and the soft smile on Jack's face wrenched at his insides in a way he didn't fully understand. "Yes."

"I'm sorry."

Zhao Zi would have given anything to hear those words four years ago. Now, he simply nodded. 

"Did you hear me? I said-"

He nodded again, more vigorously. "Yes," he said. "I accept your apology. But now you need to go."

Jack's smile was gone now, his face a mask of neutrality. Zhao Zi couldn't see past it – then again, he never could, which was why Jack's sudden departure four years ago had shaken him to the core – but he wondered wildly if somewhere deep inside the other man, there was even a smidgen of actual regret. "I see," Jack said, as though he had answered his own unspoken question. "You're still disappointed in me."

The unexpected flare of fury that rose up at that was so strong that Zhao Zi thought he would choke on it. "No, Jack," he finally said. "It's just I have other things to do and you-" he nodded towards the door, realising with embarrassment that his actions were unnaturally stiff, a red flag to any ordinary observer about his feelings, much less someone as observant as Jack. "-you have your own… things. To do. You shouldn't risk breaking your cover by coming here."

"Shorty-"

"You shouldn't be here," Zhao Zi finished.

"Got it." Jack studied him again, then with a twist of his body, he had disappeared from his position by the door. 

Zhao Zi stood watching the spot where he had been for a long, long time, until Ah Fei messaged him with a reminder about work.

/tbc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand we have gone AU! This fic is AU from episde 17-18 onwards. Basically, Jack didn't stay.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The shoe drops.

Even the most mediocre TV drama wouldn't be this predictable, Zhao Zi thought, halfway into his breakfast sandwich and aware that he had crumbs all over his chin, as he caught sight of the commotion starting in the other end of the bullpen. He thought about slinking back towards the far end of the pantry, which was partially blocked off from the bullpen by a long table. No, that would be cowardly. And obvious. 

Yup, the man who had just walked in with Inspector Chen from International Criminal Affairs looked very familiar. He still had that neutral, polite smile, but his eyes were watchful. His hair had been dyed back from its previous disconcerting blue-black to the bright, eye-catching red that always looked sinister rather than cheerful. Telling himself that it was none of his business, Zhao Zi left the pantry and took his seat at his workstation and pretended to be fully preoccupied in staring at his computer screen (he did wipe his chin first). 

One would think that the universe would have had its fill of wild coincidences by now. It had been a full week since that encounter with Jack in his home, and Zhao Zi had thought that was the last he saw of Jack.

But no, the entourage came all the way up to Zhao Zi's desk. "And this is Officer Zhao Li An, who is also our liaison for cybercrimes," said Zhao Zi's captain. "Zhao Zi, this is-"

"Actually, I've met Officer Zhao before." 

Captain Liu's eyebrows rose in surprise at the man beside him. "You have?" 

Before Zhao Zi could react, his hand was grabbed in a firm, glove-covered grip, and vigorously shaken. "Under different circumstances. Pleased to meet you again, Officer Zhao. I'm Fang Liang Dian, but everyone calls me Jack."

"And everyone calls Officer Zhao, Zhao Zi. It's his nickname, you know!"

Zhao Zi wished this was one of the times he could grind his heel into Captain Liu's instep and get him to stop talking. "Yes, you can call me Zhao Zi," he said through teeth that just about managed not to clench together. 

"Jack will be joining us from today, Zhao Zi," Captain Liu explained. "He was undercover with Inspector Chen as his handler for the past four years, and on another job before that, but now that he's wrapped up the latest mission, he's decided to stop all undercover work. They felt the best way for him to get a fresh start is with us. Let Ah Fei know when he comes in later." 

Zhao Zi managed to extricate his hand from Jack, who had continued to hold on to it. "Of course, Cap," he said, and gave Jack a pointed look.

"You can help to get him settled in. Oh, yes, you can brief him on the Yihan case, too. He'll be helping you and Ah Fei on that."

The uncomfortable feeling in Zhao Zi's stomach increased. "But Cap," Zhao Zi said, "Ah Fei and I have been working on that."

"You've been grumbling that there is too much work for just your team. So I've assigned you more help," Captain Liu pointed out. "Jack is more than capable of helping out."

Zhao Zi tried not to show his anger. "Sure, Cap," he said. After Captain Liu left, Zhao Zi stared at Jack for a moment more. "I'll get you the file on the Da Ming nightclub fire. That's the start of the Yihan case," he said, deciding to focus on practicalities for now, as well as his wish to get away from Jack. He started to turn away, only to find Jack raising his arm to bar the way. "Excuse me," he said, trying to side-step the other man.

"Aren't you even curious about how I came to be here, Shorty?" Jack asked. There was a curious, yet indulgent lilt to his voice.

Zhao Zi swallowed and tried to maintain his calm. "No. Now, excuse me-" 

"Really? Or are you just anxious to avoid me?"

Setting his jaw, Zhao Zi glared up at Jack, hating the fact that the other man was taller, hating that the man still looked so familiar and that his own heart couldn't stop aching at the sight of him. "If you are here, it means that you have been an undercover cop all along," he said finally, and listened with faint shock at how normal he sounded.

A small frown appeared between Jack's brows.

"You must have done a good job at infiltrating Chen Wen Hao's network after his death." That, at least, Zhao Zi and Ah Fei (and Tang Yi) had figured out. For all that Jack had claimed to be attracted to Zhao Zi, once the news of Chen Wen Hao's death came out (Ah Fei had been unusually upset at that), Jack had disappeared into thin air. It was Tang Yi who revealed that Chen Wen Hao had earlier tried to entice Jack over to work for him.

"You knew-" Jack began, then studied Zhao Zi more intently now. "So you knew that I was working on breaking up Chen Wen Hao's drug network in Cambodia."

"Yes," Zhao Zi said. Thanks to Tang Yi's connections, they knew of the breakdown of Chen Wen Hao's drug empire even before the police at International Crimes did. Chen Wen Hao's subordinates had done their best to maintain his legacy, but they simply did not have his range of contacts in Taiwan and in Cambodia, nor did they have his skill at leading a wide, complicated international network. Other gangs chipped away at their influence, and there were spies in every corner. Infighting and successful raids did the rest. "I know that was due to you. You've done a great job." Even he was shocked at how cold that last part came out. 

Jack's arm fell to his side as he looked at Zhao Zi, his expression becoming closed.

"For all the time that you knew me," Zhao Zi went on, "you have only been playing your undercover role. So, well done, Jack. Fang Liang Dian." He walked past Jack, proud that his knees had not weakened. Once past Jack, his mind did the mental equivalent of wondering what the hell he was doing, but he managed to reach the shelves to retrieve the needed files. 

His hands were shaking as he stacked them up, and he had to brace himself against the wall, taking deep breaths and uncaring whether Jack was watching. He could react, but he simply could not fold just like that. Even if Jack saw through his pretence at nonchalance, Zhao Zi told himself, he was not going to crack. 

But he didn't have to make things especially difficult for himself. "Mei," he said to the new junior who was sitting beside Shao Fei's desk. 

"Yeah, Zhao Zi-ge?" She had been watching his actions with puzzlement for some time.

"You've met the new colleague, Ja-" he took a moment to recall what it was that Jack had said. "Jack. Er, Fang Liang Dian, right?"

"Mm-hm," Mei said, her eyes brightening. "They said he was undercover for almost ten years!"

Yeah, that sounded about right. Zhao Zi shoved the files at her. "Give these to him. I'm going out, erm, for some air."

"Sure, Zhao Zi-ge, but what-" 

Zhao Zi couldn't stay inside any more. He slipped out as quickly as he could, and paused outside at the side of the door, before making his way downstairs. By the time he stepped out of the building, he had successfully put all thought of Jack out of his mind (or so he told himself), and was able to appreciate the resigned expressions of those present and witness to the not-so-rare leave-taking scene between Ah Fei and Tang Yi.

Tang Yi's car had stopped improperly at the station main entrance, and its owner was leaning Ah Fei against the front door, kissing him without regard to the wolf-whistles of a couple of patrolmen who were coming in after finishing their shift. 

"Oh hey, Zhao Zi. Look at them," Officer Wen, this time on duty at the entrance, was shaking her head when Zhao Zi approached, "this is why I'm still single. Where am I going to find a guy like that?"

Zhao Zi hm'ed appreciatively, then raised his voice, "Oi, Ah Fei!"

The pair finally stopped kissing, and Ah Fei's face was a picture of dismay. "I'm not that late, am I?" he asked, then pawed at Tang Yi's wrist to check his watch (even though he was wearing one himself).

"You're so late that you're early for afternoon shift," Zhao Zi said. Ah Fei's lateness was becoming something of a legend in the station.

"It's not as bad as that, surely-"

Zhao Zi snorted. 

Tang Yi only smiled, and placed a hand on Ah Fei's cheek briefly. "Go on," he said, then retrieved _two_ lunch bento boxes from the backseat. "Officer Zhao," he called out. "I cooked too much this morning. If you don't mind-"

Food! Zhao Zi gravitated towards him and happily took the bento box handed to him, while Ah Fei took his with another peck on Tang Yi's cheek. "Thanks!" Zhao Zi said, and realised that he was ravenous. That breakfast sandwich didn't even make a dent in his hunger.

"Bye, Tang Yi," Ah Fei said, and they both waited till Tang Yi got into the car and his driver drove off. 

Zhao Zi clutched his bento box to his chest and they went up to the bullpen. Once up there, Zhao Zi made for the lunch table at the pantry and opened the bento box, sighing with pleasure at seeing the contents. "This is the best!" he said as he sat down and found a pair of chopsticks, cleaning them unceremoniously with a corner of his T-shirt.

Ah Fei was looking at him mock-suspiciously. "You say that every time. And Tang Yi always makes you a bento lunch, even though the two of you are not that close. You're not keeping anything from me, are you?" he said, leaning close.

"For crying out loud, Ah Fei," Zhao Zi shoved him to the side with a shoulder, before hunching protectively over his prize, "Your husband and I are friends. He just likes cooking and he's nice enough to leave a share for me after making you a bento lunch. That's all. Now leave me with my food." 

"Huh," Ah Fei thumbed his nose at Zhao Zi. "All right. But you know very well that if you eat yours now, you can't have mine-"

"Out!" As though he didn't know that. 

Ah Fei gave him a friendly poke on the shoulder before putting his lunch in the fridge, and left the pantry. 

Zhao Zi concentrated on the amazing bento before him. Tang Yi really was an excellent cook, helped in no doubt by the fact that he did his best cooking whenever the food was for Ah Fei. Today, there was savoury egg roll, fried chicken, stir-fried bean sprouts, a fruit salad, and rice onigiri rolled with crisp green nori. Having an agreement with Tang Yi did have its benefits.

"You have someone to make you a bento lunch now?" someone asked, and Zhao Zi nearly fell out of his seat to see that it was Jack. 

"Uh, yeah," Zhao Zi said. He would have said more, probably along the lines of 'none of your business', but he only had one mouth and it was put to much better use in eating than talking. Tang Yi's cooking tended towards the spicy, which suited Zhao Zi just fine. The fried chicken was crunchy on the outside but still tender and juicy on the inside, and Zhao Zi chewed blissfully, closing his eyes with pleasure. How in the world was Ah Fei still skinny like an eighteen-year-old raw recruit, he had no idea. 

There was a small bang, as though someone had slammed a drawer door shut. He opened his eyes and spotted Jack leaving the pantry. Despite himself, the knot of tension in his stomach eased: he had not wanted to talk to Jack at all, and had used the food as a shield (though it was really very good). 

Jack had made him a bento lunch once. At that time, Yi Qi had told him that he ought to appreciate someone who did that for him, and he had taken her words to heart. But his own attempts at building a relationship with Jack ultimately came to nothing. Zhao Zi shoved more of the egg roll into his mouth, biting it into smaller pieces between his teeth, and tried not to brood.

Wait a minute. If Jack was just here, and Ah Fei was here, then that meant…

Zhao Zi slammed down his chopsticks and rushed out.

/tbc


	5. Chapter 5

"…still holding a grudge that he put your boyfriend in jail?" was what Zhao Zi heard when he rounded the corner to the bullpen, and he barely prevented himself from cursing out loud. He bit his lip and stood at the edge of the crowd that had gathered, bidding his time.

Deng Shi Wen was the newest transfer to the third team, and unlike Min or Da-wei, he needled Ah Fei almost constantly regarding his relationship with Tang Yi, to the point of being openly hostile. It didn't help that Ah Fei was a year younger but was most often assigned as team leader in combined operations, despite the rumours that continued to spread about him and Xing Tian Meng in the police station. 

Ah Fei, who had been standing before Jack, paused and looked at Deng Shi Wen. "What did you just say?" he asked, his voice even. Jun Wei, who was next to him, winced.

The rest in the bullpen, including Min and Da-wei, exchanged glances. Zhao Zi just about managed to stop himself from lunging forward, but he noticed that the neutral smile on Jack's face had already smoothed out as he tilted his posture just the merest bit to study Deng Shi Wen.

Whose sense of self-preservation seemed to be severely lacking, as he continued saying to Ah Fei, "Officer Jack Fang was undercover at Xing Tian Meng and he discovered all the drug dealing there. That's why you were going to confront him, right?"

Over the years, most of the original third team had transferred out or been assigned elsewhere, leaving Zhao Zi, Ah Fei, Jun Wei and Yu Qi. The newer ones to the team only knew that previously, both the captain and a senior detective had been found to be dirty cops, and another detective was dating a gang boss. Never mind that their current captain was aware of the whole history, and had even recommended Ah Fei to be the vice-captain; the rumours that Ah Fei had under-the-table dealings with Xing Tian Meng never really went away. There was a reason Ah Fei had kept his marriage with Tang Yi discreet. Those who saw the plain gold ring he wore drew their own conclusions.

Ah Fei opened his mouth as though preparing to refute Deng Shi Wen, then spotted first Zhao Zi, who gave him a shake of his head, and then glanced over at Jack, and swallowed whatever he was going to say. He stepped backwards towards Jun Wei, giving him a pointed look towards Zhao Zi. Meeting their gazes, Zhao Zi froze.

It was Jack who turned almost leisurely towards Deng Shi Wen, faint curiosity in his expression, giving off an air of harmlessness.

 _All fake,_ Zhao Zi recognised.

"Just wondering, Officer Deng," Jack asked with deceptive casualness, "how in the world you knew so much of my undercover missions. I'm sure they were supposed to be top secret and confidential."

Ah Fei, his expression equally neutral, was now studying the distance between Jack and Deng Shi Wen, as though watching for sparks. Zhao Zi however had his heart in his mouth at realising the implications of details about Jack's missions getting out.

Before Jack's cold, almost reptilian gaze, Deng Shi Wen belatedly realised he was just a mouse and he turned a shade paler. "I-I overheard-" he started, then glanced around at all of them in the bullpen. "I wasn't the only one!" he protested. "The rest of you knew too! Xiao Min! Da-Wei!"

The two named studiously looked elsewhere. 

Jack leaned closer to Deng Shi Wen by just a fraction of an inch, but it was enough to make him flinch. "A word of warning, Deng Shi Wen," he said, sounding as though he was talking about the weather, but the fact that he pronounced all three syllables of Deng Shi Wen's name showed that things were not that simple. "As a police officer, I believe you should make sure that whatever is confidential, stays confidential, don't you?

"Y-yes." At Jack's continued silence, Deng Shi Wen burst out, "Of course! I would never say anything! Please believe me!" The last three words were pleading.

"Of course I believe you, Officer Deng," Jack said. "How could I doubt a dutiful officer like you?"

Deng Shi Wen looked as though he was about to faint. "But I-" he shut up immediately at Jack's smile.

"Ah Fei," Zhao Zi judged it a good time to interrupt. Jun Wei spotted him edging closer, and tugged at Ah Fei's jacket to get him away. Ignoring Jack, Zhao Zi grabbed Ah Fei by the arm and pulled him back towards the pantry area. Jun Wei followed behind them. As he left, out of the corner of his eye, Zhao Zi saw Jack look from them to each of the other members in the bullpen in turn.

"Sorry," Ah Fei said once they were out of earshot, though he probably could not have explained to Zhao Zi, or anyone, why he was apologising. More softly, "I just couldn't believe that he turned up like this, after what he did to you."

"He didn't do anything to me."

"That's right."

Zhao Zi looked away, swallowing the lump in his throat. "It's okay. He's been assigned here, so he's a co-worker. We just have to be professional."

"Like the way that ass Deng Shi Wen is professional?" Jun Wei said with a snort. "He's lucky Yu Qi isn't here today, she'd have punched him."

"I think Jack's threat is scarier," Zhao Zi said, trying to make a joke out of it. 

Jun Wei looked from him to Ah Fei. "But he didn't make any threat."

Both Zhao Zi and Ah Fei replied at the same time, "Exactly." They met each other's eyes, exchanging a scowl (Ah Fei) and a shrug (Zhao Zi).

Just because Jack had been nice to him in the past, didn't mean that Zhao Zi wasn't aware of the darker side of Jack's personality. True, some of that, Zhao Zi had deduced after Jack left, and Zhao Zi had done his own investigation into Jack's identity. But even before that, Zhao Zi already sensed that Jack was only outwardly affable: he was controlling, in his own way, and he could be dangerous. 

From the reports that Tang Yi obtained from his own informants, Zhao Zi felt as though he knew Jack even better than four years ago, from the first time when Jack had said that he was attracted to Zhao Zi. Perhaps because he had been an undercover agent for so long, Jack was someone who knew how to use violence to get what he wanted, but he also had a finely tuned sense of when force was needed, and when trickery and manipulation got better results. 

Yet, even four years ago from their first meeting, Zhao Zi's survival instincts towards Jack seemed to be deficient somehow; he saw the menacing side in Jack, but didn't feel threatened by them or by Jack. 

After a moment, Zhao Zi asked Ah Fei, "Did you really confront Jack?"

Ah Fei crossed his arms. "I got as far as saying, 'You have the cheek to be here', before Shi Wen decided to butt in." 

"Then you know? About him being assigned to the third team?"

"I do now," Ah Fei said. He shrugged, then looked more carefully at Zhao Zi. "He's really been assigned here?"

"Yeah," Zhao Zi said. "Saw the paperwork too. He's been doing undercover work right out of the academy, more than ten years of it. He started out as a mercenary, but that was a front." Of course, Zhao Zi wasn't indiscreet enough to reveal what he had learnt to all and sundry, much less use it to attack yet another person. That raised the question: why had all those details been spread to the third team?

"Hm."

"And boss assigned him to join the Yihan case." Zhao Zi figured he might as well say it, pushing his thoughts about Jack's secrets to the back of his mind.

"What?"

Zhao Zi shrugged, not wanting Ah Fei to make a bigger fuss of it as well. Inwardly, his trepidation was growing. Now that Jack was here (and Ah Fei knew), it wouldn't be long before Tang Yi knew as well. True, he and Tang Yi had their agreement, and he trusted Tang Yi, but still-

There was a rustle at the pantry entrance, and all three of them looked up. Zhao Zi thought, not for the first time, how inane it was that the pantry had become a place of refuge for them, to the point that the rest of the third team knew to look for them here. 

"Excuse me," Mei said, glancing down the way she had come for a second as though doubting her role as messenger, "Ah Fei, Superintendent Zhang's people called. They said there's been developments in the Yihan case."

Ah Fei straightened, all business. "Developments?" he asked. "Not another fire?"

"They didn't mention that."

His frown reappearing, but this time due to an ongoing case rather than any personal attack, Ah Fei dug out his phone and called Superintendent Zhang. After a quick talk, he looked up. "Something's a bit strange," he said to Zhao Zi. "They found bodies, but no fire." He nodded at Min. "Thanks, Xiao Min. Please let Boss know I'm going out," he said.

Min looked at them as though she wanted to say more, but muttered, "Okay," and walked away.

"I'll go with you, Ah Fei," Zhao Zi said.

"No need, I'll update you from the site. There's probably things I need you to check up from here."

Zhao Zi protested, "But it's not safe. This case is weird, especially now that there's a break in the pattern. Didn't you say that there were suspicious people still hanging around the last crime scene?"

"I'll be care-"

"I'll go with Officer Meng."

Jun Wei visibly jumped at Jack's interruption. 

"You don't have to," Zhao Zi said, after a pause to take in his sudden appearance. "This is Ah Fei's and my case."

"Mine too, remember?" Jack said. "I should go. Or are you afraid that I'll be a danger to Officer Meng?" His voice was challenging.

"No, I-"

"Then let's go," Ah Fei put in before Zhao Zi could say anything further. He looked at Jack appraisingly, his face hard, then glanced at Zhao Zi. "Don't worry, Zhao Zi, it'll be fine." He checked himself for gun and badge, and nodded at Jun Wei. "See you," he said, and left with Jack.

"Be careful!" Zhao Zi said, not sure if he meant it for Jack too.

* * *

Tang Yi looked up when Zhao Zi entered the office at Shi Hai Group's headquarters. "Officer Zhao," he said. "Please have a seat."

Zhao Zi sat down on the long couch opposite him, gathering his thoughts.

"Is this about Jack?"

Zhao Zi jumped in his seat. "Y-you know!" he exclaimed. "How?"

Tang Yi took the time to pour out tea from the teapot, sliding a small china cup towards him. "One of our new business ventures, please do try it."

Feeling just a bit unsettled, Zhao Zi lifted the delicate cup to his lips and sipped it, appreciating the aroma that filled his mouth (he wasn't a savage). "It's good," he said slowly. His grandmother had particularly liked oolong when she was alive. 

Tang Yi sipped his for a moment, then put down his cup. "I saw him watching from the window when I left Shao Fei at the police station this morning," he said. "He hid himself well, but that hair of his is distinctive."

"Oh." In that case, Zhao Zi had to give Tang Yi credit for not turning back there and then to confront Jack. He hesitated for a second, then plunged in. "I-I came to confirm that our agreement still stands."

Tang Yi eyed Zhao Zi. "Even now, after meeting him again?"

"Yes." Zhao Zi didn't even think twice.

Tang Yi studied him for a moment more. "Then yes."

Zhao Zi slumped in relief. "Thanks."

"Actually, you didn't need to ask this. Someone like Jack is well able to take care of himself." 

That was true too. In fact, anyone who went up against Jack were probably the ones who needed help. "That doesn't mean he should be constantly looking out for attacks from Xing Tian Meng."

Tang Yi's gaze grew a little softer, reminding Zhao Zi anew of the man who was Ah Fei's husband and who unhesitatingly called Zhao Zi a friend, rather than of a cold, expressionless (ex-)gang leader. "I think he doesn't realise how much he hurt you."

The words hit Zhao Zi like a punch to the stomach, and he swallowed. "Can we not talk about this?" he asked. 

Tang Yi shrugged. "By all means, Officer Zhao. Perhaps you would like to hold up your end of the agreement and tell me where Shao Fei is, right now. He told me he'd be late today."

 _Oh, shit_. 

"Officer Zhao?" Tang Yi pressed. "Did something happen to Shao Fei?"

"No! He's perfectly safe. He's er," Zhao Zi took a deep breath. "He's with Jack."

/tbc


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly conversations this round. Then again, most of my fics are like that. -_-;

"Erm, on a case, I mean!" Zhao Zi added quickly. "There was a new development, and Jack said he'd go with Ah Fei." 

Tang Yi was silent, his face inscrutable.

Zhao Zi watched him, then offered, "He's been assigned to our case. Jack."

A few more seconds passed, and Tang Yi lifted the teapot to refill his cup and set it down soundlessly. The tea was probably bitter by now, but Tang Yi drank it calmly. "You should know," he said, "I would not worry about Shao Fei's safety if he's with Jack. He's not a person who recklessly endangers another without reason."

"It's been four years," Zhao Zi said. "People change."

At that, Tang Yi looked at him, his gaze intense enough that Zhao Zi felt as though Tang Yi could see right into his skull. "He hasn't changed that much if he came back for you, Officer Zhao," he said.

* * *

There was still no lock on his front gate ("You don't even lock your doors?"), just a simple latch which Zhao Zi was currently wrestling with. It was rusty, for one thing; and for another, using one's non-dominant hand was always awkward. Grumbling under his breath, he transferred the bags of groceries to his left hand, shook out his numb right hand and tried again.

A leather-clad hand turned the latch and opened the gate for him.

Maybe it was exhaustion from the long day, or perhaps it was because Zhao Zi was still immersed in his memories. Whatever the reason, Zhao Zi found himself smiling up in the man's direction. "Hi Jack! Thanks!" he said happily. As soon as he heard himself, Zhao Zi felt himself turn red. This was not four years ago, to feel irrationally cheerful whenever he saw Jack. 

For his part, Jack looked stunned, if only briefly. He studied Zhao Zi, this time no doubt wondering if Zhao Zi had lost his mind.

Mortified, Zhao Zi broke their gaze, muttered, "Go away, Jack," and hurried past him.

He had to put down the grocery bags to get his door key out (without assistance this time), and after opening the front door, he found that Jack had already grabbed his bags of groceries. Frowning, he entered his house, toeing off his shoes before shuffling on his house slippers, trying to ignore Jack yet paradoxically, feeling hyper-sensitive about Jack's presence. "You can put the bags on the counter," he said, preparing to add "and then you can leave" but the words died when he noticed that Jack was wearing a familiar-looking pair of house slippers.

Specifically, it was the pair that Zhao Zi got for him four years ago. Jack had moved in with nothing more than a duffel bag of belongings and Zhao Zi had thought he needed his own pair. After Jack disappeared, Zhao Zi had been tempted to throw them away, but his grandma's teachings about waste and frugality stopped him. He'd kept them for general visitors ever since, trying to forget who their original wearer was.

Pretending not to notice what he had noticed, Zhao Zi waited till Jack had done as he said, and began taking the groceries out of the bags and putting them in his refrigerator and pantry. 

"Still eating instant ramen?" Jack asked. He placed the package into the usual shelf on the side, as though he had been doing it for years. "You know that's not very healthful."

"It's convenient," Zhao Zi said. "I'm a cop, I don't have that much time to cook big meals." In no time, all the groceries had been put away, and Zhao Zi mustered his courage again. "Jack, why are you here?" he asked.

"Why not? Haven't you wanted to see me, Officer Zhao?"

"Yes."

Probably expecting a bald denial, Jack looked taken aback at Zhao Zi's frank response. "Then-"

"I did want to see you," Zhao Zi said, frowning. He wasn't explaining this right, so he tried again. "Tang Yi went to prison," he said. "You know that, right?"

Jack made a sound of acknowledgement.

"It was for three years, longer than they thought at first. But Tang Yi did it because he wanted to keep Xing Tian Meng clean. But more than that, because he wanted to have a future with Ah Fei."

Jack remained quiet, still looking at him as though trying to figure out what was going on with Zhao Zi. It reminded Zhao Zi vaguely of the first time he had tried negotiating with Jack regarding Ah Fei's mobile number, as though he couldn’t figure out why Zhao Zi was asking for food in exchange.

Zhao Zi found the bar stool at the side of the counter, and sat down even though it meant that Jack was no longer at his eye level. He found that it helped him to focus, not to have to look at Jack. "You asked if I wanted to see you," he began. "I did. To be completely honest, I still do. But the fact remains that we only had a past together. We didn't have a future." The conclusion that he'd drawn from Jack's departure four years ago was still valid, even now. 

Jack half-raised a hand, as though in protest. "That was then."

"Yes, it was." Zhao Zi took a deep breath. "For what it's worth, I'm glad that you're out of the undercover business," he said, allowing himself to be honest. Over the course of the day, Zhao Zi had been telling himself: at least he's no longer undercover. At least he doesn't have to live a lie every day. At least he no longer had to fear being exposed. As disappointed and disheartened he was - as furious as he had been and still was, deep down he was glad that Jack was here. Whatever his complicated feelings were, he could deal with them so long as Jack continued to be safe.

But his words only made Jack look even more frustrated. "If you're so glad that I'm done with undercover missions, why can't you be glad that I came back for you?"

"Because you never told me anything."

Jack looked taken aback, a fact that made Zhao Zi even more uncomfortable. He didn't think he was being unreasonable but it seemed like it had not occurred to Jack at all. "I-I know I was naïve, even silly, in expecting that you and I would be together like Ah Fei and Tang Yi are together. When I didn't know anything about you at all. I thought you were a gangster, working for Tang Yi as his bodyguard. Then you said you were going to leave. I thought it was because you were caught up Xing Tian Meng's business, and had to flee, and I thought, if I asked you to stay, then it would all work out, like it did for Tang Yi and Ah Fei."

He smiled at his own innocent train of thought of four years ago. 

"Then Ah Fei got shot (by Tang Yi of all people) and it turned out Lao Da and Ah Zhi were involved with Li Zhen Jie and Tang Guo Dong's deaths. A lot of secrets came out then. And then you were… gone."

Jack made a sound like a groan.

Zhao Zi looked down at his hands in his lap, marvelling at how ordinary they looked. It didn't seem possible that he had punched a wall then. "It's weird, but Ah Fei and Tang Yi (before he went to prison) helped me to figure out where you had gone to, what you were doing, and then we realised that you were actually an undercover agent." It had even been fun in a way, all three of them digging up the different clues from their various sources and pooling what they knew, before finally deducing where Jack was. He lost himself briefly in remembering Tang Yi's cold fury at the discovery, and Zhao Zi's own realisation that Jack was going to be in a world of trouble with Xing Tian Meng if - or when he re-appeared in Taiwan. 

"Everything about you that I learnt, I had to accept it myself. Ah Fei couldn't help me with that, because he didn't really know you. Nor could Tang Yi, because he only saw you as a subordinate, not a friend." His voice grew softer, and he was breathing shallowly, still looking down, hunching down on himself as though to shield himself against the memory. "N-not as a love-"

Jack's arms were all around him, warm and suffocating.

/tbc


	7. Chapter 7

Zhao Zi was in heaven. At least, his version of heaven: there were firm, well-defined pectoral muscles under his palms, and their owner didn't seem to mind that Zhao Zi was caressing them over and over again. His cheek was against a solid bicep, which Zhao Zi could not help nuzzling against, and as his other hand explored downwards, he could trace the outlines of the six-pack with just his fingertips…

"Shorty, you need to wake up."

He groaned at the interruption. This was his fantasy come true and he intended to enjoy it, dammit. Who the hell was stopping him from feeling up Tang Yi's body, even if it was just a dream- waitaminute. He opened his eyes. 

Gazing into Jack's light brown eyes, Zhao Zi immediately realised: one, he was lying right on top of Jack; two, he was feeling up _Jack_ ; and three, he was all but naked. Making a sound like a balloon deflating, Zhao Zi scrambled backwards, nearly falling off the bed. (He was in bed!) 

"Wha-" he swallowed and tried again. "What are you doing here?!" his voice came out in a shout.

For a moment, Jack just studied him in silence. He was still wearing the T-shirt and jeans from last night. Finally, he shrugged. "Don't you remember what happened last night?"

Last night. Zhao Zi cast his mind back. He had been confessing to Jack all about how he felt about his departure, about finding out that Jack was an undercover cop, and then Jack had hugged him. Then-

Huh. He had nothing.

"You fell asleep on me," Jack said. His expression was almost too bland, as though he was trying to control himself. "I tried to wake you up, but you just grumbled at me and continued sleeping. Out of the goodness of my heart, I carried you up to your bed but you suddenly said you were hot and you started taking off your clothes. Then you pulled me to bed and wouldn't let me leave. You're stronger than you look, Shorty."

Zhao Zi could feel his entire face turning red. "I didn't-" he began in instinctive denial, forgetting to tell Jack to stop calling him 'Shorty', then added, "you should have left. I'll be fine, I just needed some sleep."

Jack eyed him. "After an overnight stakeout and two more shifts, I should think so," he said. "I'll come back to you and Officer Meng's frankly insane working schedule later. After that, you fell asleep right on top of me."

"Sorry," Zhao Zi said, reluctant to be apologising, but knowing that he had to. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"I know. You called me 'Tang Yi' once."

Oh, no. Zhao Zi wanted to sink through the floor. And to pray that neither Ah Fei nor Tang Yi ever found out about this. "Uh-"

"I don't need to ask if this was real or just a fantasy," Jack said, though his expression was strange: he looked so intently at Zhao Zi, as though trying to decipher his thoughts. "It's obvious Officer Meng and my ex-boss have eyes for no one else but each other. I dozed off too, after a while." Jack had joined in the overnight stakeout and the two shifts; no wonder he was exhausted too.

Zhao Zi nodded firmly to himself, willing himself not to die of embarrassment at what he'd been doing to Jack. The solution was, of course, to see less of Jack. "All right," he said. "Let's draw a line over this whole thing. I'm sorry I grabbed you like that, Jack. It was a moment of-" 

"Lust? Wishful thinking?" Jack asked, obviously intrigued yet displeased at the same time. "So your choice of partner is someone like Tang Yi? Since you were feeling him-"

"Confusion!" Zhao Zi pointed out before Jack could continue, irrationally guilty for no reason he could define. "I was confused, that's all." He glanced around his bedroom desperately, and his gaze landed on the clock. "Look at the time! I have to meet Ah Fei soon," he said, stepping around his bed, where the pillows and his plush dinosaur were all askew, before he quickly grabbed a bath towel from his wardrobe and slipped into the bathroom. "You can let yourself out. See you at the station later!" he shouted through the door to Jack, but didn't move until he heard, in the distance, his front gate swinging open and shut, the hinges and the latch squeaking through layers of rust.

Even then, it was several minutes before he gathered himself together to take a quick shower, panicky thoughts mellowing to a steady determination to stop obsessing about Jack. It was a futile plan, he knew from past experience but he persisted nonetheless.

He reached the station earlier than planned, but spotted Ah Fei and Tang Yi at the lobby. That was not so unusual in itself, even if Tang Yi tended to avoid coming inside the station unless it was specifically to pick up Ah Fei. Except that they were talking to Yen-jie.

Senior Superintendent Zhang Yen Yen, rather. She had been in Kaohsiung until about two years ago, before she requested for a transfer back to Taipei. All Zhao Zi knew of her at first was that she had been Li Zhen-jie's classmate at the police academy. Apparently they had remained in contact until Li Zhen-jie's death eight years ago. Despite having the authority to delegate investigations to other teams, she still ran the lead on all the most unusual cases, with the most recent one being the Yihan case. As far as Zhao Zi knew, Ah Fei had contacted her once with a lead on an earlier case, and ended up being ordered to assist her in her cases every now and then. For him, it was a welcome reprieve from having to deal with the third team, even though Yen-jie's cases tended to be a lot more gruesome. Zhao Zi had accompanied him just once, and had been roped in once she discovered his expertise with security systems.

Now, she spotted Zhao Zi and waved him over imperiously. Tang Yi looked over at him, radiating curiosity (though his expression was unchanged) while Ah Fei looked resigned.

As well he might. Zhao Zi approached Yen-jie (she insisted on being addressed as such by Ah Fei and Zhao Zi, and made sure the rest of the third team witnessed it), snapping out what he thought was a very smart salute. "Madam!"

Senior Superintendent Zhang Yen Yen snorted. "And where have you been? Were you trying to avoid me by sending that red-haired pretty boy instead?"

She was referring to Jack. "Of course not," he said while one part of his mind went, 'pretty boy'? "Ah Fei must have told you that Jack was assigned to your case as well, Madam- er, Yen-jie."

"Well, that young fool Captain Liu of yours should have informed me first. Does he remember his protocol at all, and that I outrank him?"

A part of Zhao Zi inwardly sniggered at their captain being referred to as 'young fool'. 

"He's already put in the official paperwork," Ah Fei said. "If only you'd checked your inbox, Yen-jie."

"Insolence and insubordination," Yen-jie groused, "all of you." 

To Zhao Zi's surprise, she then turned to Tang Yi. "Boss Tang, good meeting you today," she said. "But you can come and take Ah Fei home at dinnertime. We have leads to chase right now."

Tang Yi actually unbent enough to grant her a nod of acknowledgement. "I understand, Superintendent Zhang." He looked at Ah Fei. "I'll go back first. Let me know if you're staying late today." 

Ah Fei nodded, and unceremoniously pecked him on the cheek. "Will do. Bye, Tang Yi."

Tang Yi murmured something in his ear, returned the kiss, glanced a quick greeting at Zhao Zi and walked out of the station without further comment. To have Tang Yi actually respond to someone else in the police station (other than the old third team) with something other than a glare was unusual. Yen-jie must have made an impact on Tang Yi.

Yen-jie frowned after him. "You'd think his face would crack if he tried smiling," she said and Zhao Zi couldn't help a chuckle. Ah Fei made a face at her in protest. "Come on, back to my office," she said to both of them, turning towards the elevators.

Back in the conference room with the rest of Yen-jie's team, Zhao Zi rapidly noted Yen-jie's new orders to him and the others, taking the investigation in a direction they had explored before, but hadn't the leads to follow up on. Now, it was obvious that she'd learnt there was a connection between all the dead bodies that had turned up, and a decades-old feud relating to the Yihan group, a triad group that had held sway in much of Taipei more than twenty years ago.

"How did you know about that?" Zhao Zi asked when she asked him to check into old city records of land subdivisions following an illegal land grab by a shell company owned by an offshoot of the Yihan group. The Taipei of twenty years ago was a very different place.

She smirked. "Ask your partner," she said, then looked around at them. "All right, get to work! Zhao Zi, get your red-haired ex to go down to the old records at Taipei City office, see if he can get a copy of the '85 filings without an official request."

"My red-haired what?" Zhao Zi echoed, before he realised what she meant. "Oh, um, but-"

"I'm not sure he's ready for all the tedious parts of an investigation like this one, but he does have tricks up his sleeve. I've heard from his previous handler what he was up to all these years." Yen-jie, by dint of her seniority, knew nearly all of the senior captains and superintendents and had apparently heard every type of gossip there was.

"Yen-jie," Ah Fei said, with an air of trying to restrain her.

"Thrill-seeker, that one," Yen-jie observed. "But he's a new face and he knows what to look out for," Yen-jie said. "We'll figure up something else if he can't get them. Chop-chop!"

Experience told him it was futile arguing with Yen-jie. "All right." Before he could think any more, Zhao Zi called Jack (his new number saved under 'Jac' because he'd panicked when saving the contact and hadn't gone back to correct it) and told himself to focus.

"...Shorty?"

"Don't call me Shorty," he snapped.

The sudden silence told him that even Jack hadn't expected that. He gathered his thoughts but it felt like he was moving in molasses. 

"Sorry. I forgot I shouldn't call you that anymore," Jack said first.

He couldn't. He should have asked Ah Fei to do this. Ah Fei wouldn't mind. Ah Fei would understand.

"Zhao Zi? Zhao Li An, what is it?"

He came back to earth with a thud. "Um, Jack. We were in a meeting with Yen-jie, I mean, Senior Superintendent Zhang, on the Yihan case, and she said- I mean, we found that the Yihan group has- I mean, since you-"

"Zhao Zi, stop," Jack sounded a little impatient now, and that reeled Zhao Zi out of his incipient panic attack. "Slow down. What did Madam Zhang say?"

He swallowed, forcing himself to think only about Jack who had been a part of the investigation and not the Jack whom he'd been groping just a few hours ago. "We've had some new leads," he said doggedly. Quickly, he filled Jack on his task.

Jack hmm'ed. "Madam wouldn't have known about this unless someone told her, since she wasn't in Taipei then. Who-" his voice grew serious. "Did she ask ex-boss?"

"Huh?" Zhao Zi hesitated. Ah, 'ex-boss' to Jack meant Tang Yi. It didn't take a dummy to connect the dots between Tang Yi's presence (even if he, Ah Fei and Yen-jie tried to make it look as though Tang Yi was only here to pick Ah Fei up) and the new leads. "Um-" Yen-jie had not mentioned anything about Tang Yi; even someone as oblivious as Zhao Zi knew that Tang Yi's input, whatever it was, and even the fact that he had said something, was to be kept secret. 

"It's all right," Jack said. "I can guess. Don't worry," he went on, his voice calm and matter-of-fact. "I just wanted to know what kind of cover story to use."

The mention of a cover story made Zhao Zi ask, "It's okay, right? No backup needed or anything like that?" He was just being concerned about a teammate. Nothing particular about that.

"It's not dangerous."

With that, the call ended. Zhao Zi hesitated, wondering if he should call back, before Yen-jie directed him to help with the digital analysis. 

/tbc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting a little plotty. Senior Superintendent Zhang Yen Yen is my own invention. Where you have one dedicated female police officer aka Li Li Zhen, there's got to be another, right?


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack's POV now.

Jack knew something was up before he had gone more half a street from the city office, the results of his cover story in his pocket. He slowed his steps long enough to gauge how many there were, and ducked into a side lane. It was a risk, but it was the best option he had. He was on foot, and he was reluctant to get a taxi because he suspected that any car picking him up was going to bring him somewhere unwelcome. Besides, he had to find out who was after him.

In the lane, he found a hiding place inside a doorway, bided his time, then launched himself at the group of men that had followed him into the lane.

If he had a choice, Jack would have rather not fought at all. He preferred to conserve his energies, and fights were unpredictable, with risk parameters that Jack could not fully assess. But there was no choice. He had to create a disruption and get out as soon as possible. Besides, if these were enemies from his undercover days, he did not want to risk drawing their attention to his actual identity. Best to take care of things now. The next best option was to make sure they didn't want to find him again. 

Well, two out of three ain't bad.

He managed to incapacitate four of them before he found one who was more willing to talk. His ever-present switchblade was good for that, and the thug's eyes were fearful as Jack mused aloud about how difficult it would be to re-sew someone's eyelids back on. "Th-they said you were a traitor and Zeng Lao Da would reward us if we brought you to him!" he said, trying to make himself smaller to get away from Jack's knife. "Please let me go!"

"Well," Jack flicked his switchblade once, twice, watching as a shallow cut opened on the man's cheek and began to seep blood. "Then you need to carry a message for me."

The man turned so pale that it looked like he was about to faint dead away. 

Jack felt the corners of his lips turn up in a parody of a smile. "Tell Zeng Lao Da that he'd better lie low while he's out on bail, because I know where he lives."

"I-I-" 

Jack released his hold on the thug, who tried to scramble away like a crab, too fearful to run. Almost casually, Jack took two steps, grabbed him by the collar this time and said into his ear, "And not to think that he's safe from me even when he's in prison." He dropped the man like a bag of sand.

"Y-y-yes!" the thug stuttered. "I'll tell him!"

Jack watched coldly as the thug stumbled away, almost falling over in his hurry, until the thug left the lane. Then he turned around, gun at the ready.

Tang Yi held up both hands as though in surrender, though his eyes were fixed on Jack. He was wearing a dark blue suit, looking as though he had just left one of the interminable Shi Hai Group meetings.

"Ex-boss?" Jack said, noting that Tang Yi was alone and that one of the hands held aloft was in fact holding a gun. "Are you here to take revenge too?" he asked, though he doubted it.

"It'll wait," Tang Yi said, his expression neutral. 

Jack lowered his gun, recognising Tang Yi's sarcasm. 

"Word about your identity has leaked," Tang Yi went on, "and there're more people after you. You'd better get out of here." 

"With you?"

Tang Yi shrugged. "I owe someone a favour," he said.

Before Jack could ask who he referred to, Tang Yi turned and walked towards the other end of the lane, as though it went without saying that (a) Jack would follow, and (b) Jack would not shoot him in the back. Despite himself, Jack was impressed. He had to admit it: Tang Yi was a natural leader. It was a pity that he was a gang leader, because the man commanded loyalty and respect by his presence alone. Of all the people Jack had known, including those in the police force, Tang Yi was one of the few persons that Jack could take at their word. Tucking his gun back in its hidden holster, Jack followed, noticing more groaning bodies on the ground, an indication that either Tang Yi or his men had already taken care of more of the men who were following Jack.

Outside the side lane, Tang Yi's car was waiting, with one of Xing Tian Meng's men who came to attention immediately. Tang Yi nodded him towards the back seat, and Jack marvelled at himself for slipping into the back beside Tang Yi without (much) suspicion at his motives. Either his subconscious trusted Tang Yi more than he had realised, or his instincts were off. The car immediately moved off, with the driver only glancing at Jack in the rearview mirror once. "Boss?"

"To the police station." 

"No."

Tang Yi glanced at him.

"If they followed me there, there's a chance they'd find out that I'm with the third team," Jack said, watching him. "Ex-boss, I'm sure you don't want to accidentally endanger Officer Meng, right?"

Tang Yi said, "You mean Zhao Zi."

Jack was not aware that he had reacted until he glanced down and noticed that he was clenching the handle of his switchblade tightly enough to leave red dents on his fingers. He made himself relax, but it was too late to hide.

"It has long been known that Meng Shao Fei is a police officer and he is with me," Tang Yi said. "The word on the street is to avoid deliberate injury to him if at all possible."

Jack was willing to bet that Officer Meng knew nothing of this, or it would have the effect of making him even more reckless than usual. 

"But that doesn't apply to his team or to his partner, like Zhao Zi." Tang Yi glanced down only once at Jack's hands, where his thumb and finger now held the handle of his switchblade with surgical deliberation, then met Jack's eyes, as though he could see Jack's inner turmoil. "Ray," he said aloud, "drive us to the house instead."

The driver said, "Yes, boss." 

It was several minutes before Jack trusted himself to speak. "Thanks."

Tang Yi made a 'hm' of acknowledgement, oddly reminding Jack of the time he used to work undercover as Tang Yi's enforcer. He had marvelled then at how coolly Tang Yi dealt with everything in Xing Tian Meng, as though there was nothing that could ruffle him. Even the plans to avenge Tang Guo Dong were coldly planned down to the last detail. The only time Tang Yi's smooth exterior cracked was when Officer Meng Shao Fei barged into his life. 

The thought of Officer Meng led him, naturally, to Zhao Zi. Jack was resigned to it now, the way his thoughts increasingly circled around Zhao Zi these days. It was not that he had forgotten about Zhao Zi after he left Taipei to infiltrate Chen Wen Hao's network; there were life-and-death matters then, and for the most part, he had pushed everything about the fascinating cop to the back of his mind as he wormed his way into the Cambodian mafia. But deep in the night, when even the thrill of the hunt had tired him a little, he would think of the way Zhao Zi gazed at him, apprehension and happiness combined. 

It was a sign of how much he liked the other cop that he'd nearly considered the possibility of giving up that undercover stint to stay in Taipei. There was no one else who could do the job as well as him, of course; Jack took that for granted. But when Zhao Zi folded himself into his embrace that first time, seated on the steps, Jack had been conscious of a combination of joy and something else he couldn't name. He'd never done this. He'd never liked another person this much. Surely this wasn't him. 

_"Do you want me to leave with disappointment or with satisfaction?"_ He'd asked Zhao Zi that question, but he had not expected Zhao Zi to answer it. 

Until he'd seen Zhao Zi again two months ago, he never thought he could have Zhao Zi in his life again. Four years down, he'd assumed that both of them had gone their own ways. If he thought about Zhao Zi then, well, it was most likely that Zhao Zi would have found someone to take good care of him. But Zhao Zi seemed simultaneously even more grown-up and yet even more alone two months ago. Jack had been conscious of a sense of possessiveness towards him, so powerful that his senses reeled, and he had concluded his mission rather earlier than he originally planned, in order to- he wasn't sure what he really wanted. He only knew that he wanted to see Zhao Zi again.

"Boss," Ray the driver spoke, alerting Jack and Tang Yi as they were turning into long lane into Tang Yi's home and Xing Tian Meng's headquarters. There was a white, battered-looking car parked closest to the house itself. It was Officer Meng's car.

Tang Yi straightened in his seat, his eyes narrowing. 

Ray stopped their car next to the white car. Tang Yi got out immediately, and Jack followed. 

The front door opened, and Officer Meng exited, no doubt recognising Tang Yi's car. What was more surprising was that he was followed by Zhao Zi, who waved a welcome at Tang Yi with a hand, apparently unaware of Jack's presence as yet. He looked cheerful. And unharmed.

Jack shocked himself by striding up swiftly past Tang Yi and Officer Meng to grab Zhao Zi's face with both hands and proceeded to kiss him thoroughly and deeply, as though it had been years. 

It really had.

/tbc


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a transitionary chapter.

The bite on his lip was so sharp and unexpected that Jack loosened his hold and the push against his sternum sent him stumbling backwards so that he hit the side of the car, and he would have fallen were it not for his reflexes. With one hand on the smooth metal surface of Tang Yi's car, he looked at the widening pair of eyes behind the black metal barrel. "Never thought I'd see you pull a gun on me again, Shor- Zhao Zi."

"Again?" Officer Meng echoed faintly.

But Zhao Zi had already lowered his gun, horror in his eyes. "I nearly shot you!" he shouted. "Are you crazy? I'm a policeman. Why did you grab me like that?"

"Clearly I'd underestimated your self-defence skills," Jack said. He was breathing faster than he had reason to do so, and he found himself studying the way Zhao Zi was standing, how he stood with his feet slightly apart, a balanced stance ready for any surprise. "You never showed any of that before." Even as he spoke, he recalled the way Zhao Zi had broken free from his hold the first time he sneaked into Zhao Zi's home. He had thought it was the element of surprise and a stroke of luck, but perhaps it was more about Zhao Zi's skills.

"Zhao Zi's always been good at hand-to-hand combat," Officer Meng said, still frowning at them, then looked at Jack as though to ask why he didn't know that. He had now reached Tang Yi's side, giving him the type of head to toe 'are you okay?' check that Jack only ever saw from long-time partners. Satisfied, Officer Meng turned back to Jack, "He's a police officer. Why would you think otherwise?"

The only reason he thought so, Jack realised, was that Zhao Zi had never shown them to him. He had never been on guard against Jack before, not even from the first time Jack had caught him and locked him in an empty room all night. It was as though he could not imagine any real harm coming to himself, even while stuck in a gangster headquarters by himself – he'd even gone to sleep on the small couch in a corner and started dreaming about donuts. 

Things were different now, it seemed.

"Why were the two of you together, anyway?" Officer Meng asked, looking from Jack to Tang Yi.

Tang Yi took Officer Meng's hand. "Let's talk inside," he said, pecking a kiss on Officer Meng's lips, and once again, he suited action to words, though he was walking with Officer Meng now. Zhao Zi, as though eager to avoid talking to Jack, quickly went with them inside the house. 

Rubbing his bitten lip, Jack followed.

*** 

Tang Yi's explanation was succinct. "His previous employees have found out who he is," he said. "They were after him, earlier."

"They are what?" It was Zhao Zi who exclaimed first. "Are you hurt?" he asked Jack, giving him the same head-to-toe survey that Officer Meng had given Tang Yi earlier. 

The obvious, even proprietary concern implicit in that action disconcerted Jack, who shook his head.

It was Officer Meng who pointed out, "Jack can take care of himself."

"Perhaps, but-" Surprisingly, Zhao Zi was frowning at Tang Yi, something that Jack had never thought Zhao Zi capable of doing: Jack had thought that he'd always seemed to be in awe of Tang Yi. "Um, Tang Yi, can I talk to you privately for a second?"

Jack turned his head to look directly at Zhao Zi. That was another first, that Zhao Zi would want to talk to Tang Yi. 

Tang Yi, though, simply nodded. "Of course," he said, standing up and leading the way out of the house in the direction of, if Jack remembered right, a side door that led a small private corner of the garden. Zhao Zi went wordlessly, his face set as though he was bracing himself for a confrontation. He didn't look at Jack.

Officer Meng said, "You might as well have some dinner first. Zhao Zi and I cooked lots of food just now."

Jack belatedly remembered Zhao Zi's happy expression when he and Tang Yi first arrived, the one that always indicated his joy at the abundance of food. Now, it felt wrong that Zhao Zi was alone with Tang Yi. When had Zhao Zi became so used to Tang Yi, to the extent that he even initiated a conversation with him?

"Aren't you even curious about what he and ex-boss are talking about?" he asked as he followed Officer Meng to the kitchen.

"I know what they're talking about," Officer Meng said, and busied himself heaping the dining table with dishes, many of which he recognised as Zhao Zi's favourite foods.

Jack was momentarily distracted by the gold ring on Officer Meng's finger. "You married ex-boss," Jack said, nodding towards to the ring.

"I was getting tired of all the hints to break up with him because he would be bad for my career," Shao Fei replied instead. 

Surprise made Jack snort. "And you didn't take their advice. As I might have expected of you, Officer Meng," he said. "My belated congratulations, then." 

Shao Fei smiled a smile that only just managed to look friendly; it was far too cool. It reminded Jack that beneath the other cop's easy-going nature, there was a clever, analytical brain that saw into matters deeply. "You can call me Shao Fei or Ah Fei, you know," he said. "We work together now. It's not like you’re still working for Tang Yi." 

Oh. Jack blinked; he had not realised he was doing that. "Old habits, I'm afraid," he said.

There was a shout from outside, and Jack was on his feet before he realised it, darting around to the outside in the direction of the sound, where Zhao Zi was with Tang Yi. To his shock, when he came in sight of the garden saw Tang Yi standing close to Zhao Zi, and patting Zhao Zi on the shoulder as though comforting him. In all this years with Tang Yi, he'd never expected to see Tang Yi behaving in a caring way to anyone other than Meng Shao Fei and Zuo Hong Ye. He opened his mouth to call out, and there was a hand on his shoulder, a very brief squeeze. 

"Let them talk," Officer Meng said, and stood there, barely glancing at Tang Yi and Zhao Zi but with impatience at Jack, as though waiting for Jack to stop clenching his fists futilely and to turn away from the scene. 

Oh. Jack _was_ clenching his fists. He made himself stop and forced his fingers to relax. His palms beneath the fingerless gloves felt itchy, as though frustrated by the inaction. "What are they doing?" he demanded of Officer Meng.

"Talking," Officer Meng said blandly. He glanced up, as though unconcerned by the sight of Tang Yi nearly embracing Zhao Zi, yet his look at Jack was pointed, as though he would drag Jack away by force if Jack tried anything funny. "Come on," he said, waiting until Jack turned towards the kitchen.

Once back at the dining table, Officer Meng set the table, placing plates, bowls, chopsticks and spoons for (presumably) Tang Yi and Zhao Zi as well. "Sit down," he said, and Jack found himself doing precisely that, taking a seat where he would be able to easily see who came into the house first. 

It felt odd to be sitting there. As one of Xing Tian Meng's enforcers in the past, Jack had never been invited to have a meal in the main dining area: that was for Tang Yi and Zuo Hong Ye, and any guests they had. As one of Tang Yi's men, he used the kitchen, of course, but never formally. Yet another reminder about how different things were right now.

"You said you know what Zhao Zi and ex-boss were talking about," he reminded Officer Meng, belatedly aware, as the words left his lips, how much he sounded like he was starting an interrogation. "Tell me what you mean." 

Officer Meng only shrugged, unconcerned at having apparently spotted his husband comforting another man. He poured out tea from an iron teapot into two teacups, pushing one towards Jack and taking one for himself. He sat down then, his fingers tapping slowly on the side of the teacup, as though considering what to say. "Four years ago, Zhao Zi asked Tang Yi to protect you," he said.

Jack froze in the middle of reaching out for food on the plate before him. He was too controlled to drop his chopsticks, but his fingers felt weak. He placed the chopsticks down on the table with exaggerated care, so gently that there was no sound. "What did you say?" he asked. 

Officer Meng looked at him intently. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you what happens to spies in a gang, even one that has been cleaned up like Xing Tian Meng."

Even though he knew, Jack could feel his blood race at the implications. If there was one thing that the mob valued, it was loyalty above all, and to be an undercover spy – worse, an undercover cop – was one of the biggest betrayals of all. Yet he had come here: followed Tang Yi here, as though he was still one of Tang Yi's underlings. It looked like his instincts had not received the update about Tang Yi being the enemy.

Officer Meng was watching him with his usual open expression, but there was something unspoken in his gaze. "Are you surprised that he would do that?" he asked.

He started to reply, but felt choked by the reflexive 'no' in his vocal cords. He wondered vaguely if he had swallowed his saliva the wrong way, but there was nothing in his mouth except dryness. For Zhao Zi to ask that of Tang Yi - never mind why in the world would Tang Yi even agree to something like that - it was the last thing- "No. Yes." He cast about desperately for something sane to say, something to show that he was still in control of the situation. A sharp pain seemed to puncture his chest. "Why- why would-"

Officer Meng took a swig from his teacup, a show of unconcern that made Jack want to yell at him. "Why would Zhao Zi ask that? Or why did Tang Yi agree?"

Jack tried to bring himself back under control.

"Tang Yi has his own reasons for agreeing," Officer Meng said. "What you really want to ask is, what made Zhao Zi ask for that?"

Anything else that Jack wanted to say froze in his throat when Tang Yi re-entered the dining area alone. He levelled a look at Jack, but turned to Officer Meng. "There's a leak at your end," he said.

Officer Meng sighed. "Figured that out ourselves, thanks," he said, standing up and guiding him to sit down at the table beside him, then sat down again. "We're checking up on that tomorrow. Eat."

Tang Yi glanced down at the dishes that Officer Meng was pushing towards him. "He's staying over. It's not safe."

Officer Meng glanced from him to Jack. "You mean Zhao Zi?"

Tang Yi made a sound of acknowledgement. 

"And Jack?" Zhao Zi asked.

Jack frowned. He hadn't heard Zhao Zi come in, but there he was, hands fisted in his jacket pockets. He looked wholly unlike the bouncy, adorable cop that Jack knew, and Jack wondered where that cop had gone to.

"He's not of Xing Tian Meng."

"Neither am I."

"You're Shao Fei's partner." 

"It's dangerous outside."

"He's even more dangerous." 

To Jack's further surprise, Zhao Zi met Tang Yi's eyes squarely, plainly unwilling to budge even an inch. He hadn't expected Zhao Zi to confront Tang Yi like this. For him. "He's helped to protect Ah Fei," Zhao Zi said, and there it was, the most effective reason of them all.

Tang Yi looked from Zhao Zi to the determinedly neutral expression on Officer Meng's face. "All right."

Zhao Zi relaxed, and it was as though the adorable cop from four years ago had returned in an instant. He heaved an exaggerated sigh of relief, pulled up a chair and sat down right beside Jack, dragging two dishes to himself instantly and helping himself to them.

A small distance away, Tang Yi was eating his dinner with Officer Meng, who unabashedly stole food from his plate while talking. The sheer domesticity of the scene felt surreal. Unable to stop himself, Jack found himself stealing glances at Zhao Zi, remembering the younger cop with a seemingly bottomless stomach, who ate with innocent gusto, expecting Jack to cook ever increasing amounts of food for him. 

Zhao Zi ate like that now. After a few minutes, as though he had found courage through his favourite foods, Zhao Zi nodded at him, apologetic. "Sorry again for pushing you away like that," he said. "And nearly shooting you,."

Jack shook his head. "Nothing to apologise for. I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have ambushed you like that." Now that the surprise was passed, it was strangely comforting to know that Zhao Zi was more than capable of defending himself.

"Um, not an ambush," Zhao Zi said. "I thought I recognised- I mean, I should have realised what I recognised."

"And what? Let me kiss you even though you weren't interested?" 

Zhao Zi, drinking from his bowl of soup, spluttered and coughed slightly. "I didn’t mean that," he said, wiping his mouth with a sleeve. "I'm inter- Um." He pressed his lips together in a way that Jack had always found tempting. "You kissed me, I groped you, we’re even!" he concluded after a moment.

"Wait, what?" came Officer Meng's voice.

Zhao Zi frowned at him, "Nothing, go back to your love talk." He glanced at Tang Yi, and his cheeks warmed briefly, and Jack could tell he was remembering his fantasy of feeling up Tang Yi's muscled body. "Don't you interrupt," he hurriedly said to Officer Meng, "I'm trying to have a conversation with Jack." 

"Huh." Officer Meng looked like he was about to say more, but Tang Yi placed a morsel of food into his mouth. "Eat. Let them talk," he said.

/tbc


End file.
